Up Next: Leadership Conference 2023 - Philadelphia (December 4-6))
And then: Big Bang 2024 - Memphis (July 2024)
leaving
to learn sessions
Learning from and with the community is a central distinguisher of schools within the BPL Network. Thus, we've made it an essential part of BPL convenings. As part of Big Bang, attendees will spend a day - not in the hotel or convention center - but out in the community through Leaving to Learn sessions.
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Big Picture Learning staff have spent a great deal of time cultivating relationships with community-based organizations throughout (and slightly beyond) Kansas City and are excited to share the below learning opportunities with you all. Still, in recognition that we ultimately visit at the pleasure of these organizations themselves - it is not outside the realm of possibility that some of the below may be cancelled due to unforeseen circumstances.
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Leaving to Learn selections are determined on a first-come, first-served basis. BPL will make every effort to ensure that you are provided with one of your top three preferences.
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How do I select my Leaving to Learn session? You must be registered for Big Bang in order to select your Leaving to Learn session. Once you've completed your registration, you'll immediately receive an email asking you to complete your Attendee Profile. Leaving to Learn selection is part of that profile. If you've already registered for Big Bang, check your email archive using the search term "Attendee Profile" to locate the link you'll need to re-access your profile. With any questions, or for assistance, please reach out to events@bigpicturelearning.org.
Please note when making your selection: If any of the Leaving to Learns below is labelled as "walking", that means that it is close enough to the hotel that we'll not be taking a bus to it. Please take this into consideration. In addition, Big Picture can make no guarantees about what the weather will be like on the day of our excursions. If a Leaving to Learn is labelled as walking, it is likely we'll be walking there whether the day is pleasant, warm, rainy, etc.
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special pre-conference
leaving to learn opportunity
brown v board of education
monday, July 24
We are excited to let you know about a special pre-conference Leaving to Learn visiting the Brown v. Board of Education National Historic Landmark in Topeka, Kansas. This visit will take place on Monday, July 24 (departing Kansas City at 8 AM and returning at 1 PM) and is limited to the first 42 registrants. This does not take the place of your regularly scheduled Leaving to Learn session built into the conference.
Please note that there is an additional cost of $250 for this pre-conference; covering transportation, meals and a donation to the museum on the groups's behalf.
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You can add this to your Big Bang experience as part of the registration process. If you've already registered for Big Bang, please reach out to events@bigpicturelearning.org for assistance.
18th & Vine / Jazz Museum / GEM
Space for: FILLED
Attention music lovers! Have you ever wanted to learn more about the intersection of art, protest, modern American culture and black history? Join Quinton and Joshua for an exciting Leaving 2 Learn experience at the American Jazz Museum. Located in the Historic 18th & Vine Jazz District in Kansas City, MO, the American Jazz Museum showcases the sights and sounds of jazz through interactive exhibits and films, the Changing Gallery exhibit space, Horace M. Peterson III Visitors Center, The Blue Room, and Gem Theater.
ACLU
Space for: FILLED
Kansas and Missouri, like many states today, face an erosion of the rights of children, educators and families. The ACLU fights tirelessly to preserve the rights of all of us. Join ACLU representatives in this L2L session, led by Mark McCormick, the Deputy Executive Director of ACLU Kansas, and NYT Best-Selling author, this L2L will exemplify the BPL message: We are activists.
Barkley/The Whole Brand
Space for: 60
What do a Blizzard flip at Dairy Queen and your school value statement have in common? Both are key components of building a Whole Brand with lasting impact. At the Barkley L2L, you'll learn how to turn your values and vision into a powerful strategic intent and Brand Map that will help you better define, message and live your school values. Led by the modern consumer experts who created iconic campaigns for brands like Dairy Queen and Planet Fitness, as well as Big Brothers Big Sisters and KC Scholars, this session will provide an opportunity for coaching and support to improve your approach to mission & vision. This L2L is highly recommended for SCHOOL TEAMS.
BoysGrow
Space for: FILLED
Get your hands in some dirt! We will be visiting BoysGrow: Mentoring Kansas City's urban youth through agricultural entrepreneurship on a working farm! Each summer, 30 youth ages 14 -16 commit to a 2 year position working on the BoysGrow farm. Their learning motto is “Teach it on Monday, Do it on Tuesday" and in that spirit we will be hands on! We will walk away 1) dirty and 2) with an embodied understanding of relationships and “doing” as rigor.
Build Trybe
Space for: FILLED
Note: Transportation to this excursion is Walking
Build Trybe provides experiential learning opportunities through learning farms, fabrication shops, and teaching kitchens. Spaces that we gratefully steward running classes, workshops, community events, mentorship programs, and more. Build Trybe trains youth aged 13 and over in advanced trades programming. We create real-world experiences and run businesses with our youth preparing them for employment opportunities in the community. Build Trybe focuses on youth facing a variety of challenges. Many of our youth are aging out of foster care, homeless, or lacking key support. We engage their incredible resiliency and their desire to create a positive life for themselves and those around them
Care Beyond the Boulevard
Space for: 25
Care Beyond the Boulevard strives to provide high-quality medical and mental health care and support to the homeless and under-served populations of Kansas City outside the bounds of traditional health care settings, becoming a force for health care equality and social change. More specifically we provide Medical Care; Covid-19, Flu and Tetanus vaccines; give out hygiene kits, coats, blankets, etc.; and Case Management Services
Cherry Pit Collective
Space for: FILLED
Note: Transportation to this excursion is Walking
Cherry Pit Collective is a communal studio space for artists, makers, and creatives, where the work and vision of women are emphasized and celebrated. Members work together to support and promote each other through a shared workspace and a commitment to community over competition.
Christopher Elbow Chocolates
Space for: 15
Do you love chocolate? Come explore the ethics, flavors, and intersection between chocolate and art at Kansas City native, Christopher Elbow's flagship shop. We will walk from the conference hotel to ask, learn, and experience through TASTE single origin, handcrafted chocolates.
Hammer Space
Space for: FILLED
Hammerspace Workshop is home to Kansas City's awesome community of makers, crafters and inventors. It's where you go to exercise your creativity. It's where you bulk up your knowledge, and work out your designs. Rip a board, sandblast a rusty tool, etch a circuit board, 3D print a missing piece, or build a robot lawnmower. Wood and metal working, silver and black smithing, welding, molding, casting, soldering, electronics, robotics, rocketry, air brushing, or just fixing a broken doohickey. You can learn to do it all yourself. We will be hands on with opportunities to design and create our own projects.
Harvesters - The Community Food Network
Space for: 25
Harvesters Community Food Network feeds families across Kansas and Missouri, as well as providing emergency assistance in places of crisis. This L2L will dig into issues of hunger, food scarcity and nutrition, as well as having an opportunity to provide feedback on Harvesters' education programs. Wear comfy shoes and roll up your sleeves, too, as you will have the chance to explore the enormity of their work in a facilities tour and volunteership to support their mission of eliminating hunger.
Indigenous Kansas City
Space for: FILLED
Join the BPL Native American Initiative on a tour of Indigenous Kansas City. Participants will have an opportunity to experience the vibrant contemporary life of Native people in KC. We will visit with artists, activists, and historians around the city, culminating in a Traditional Native American Foods tasting.
Latinx Education Collaborative
Space for: 25
Are you ready to join the Revolución Educativa? Join us for a day of identity exploration, courageous conversation, and community building with our partners at the Latinx Education Collaborative that will help build sustained and collective power for positive change for Latinx educators and youth.
Negro Leagues Baseball Museum
Space for: FILLED
The Negro Leagues Baseball Museum - part of the historic 18th & Vine District - is the world's only museum dedicated to preserving and celebrating the rich history of African-American baseball and its impact on the social advancement of America.
Operation Breakthrough
Space for: 20
Note: Transportation to this excursion is Walking
Chris Goode is a man on a mission. This L2L will provide attendees a chance to hear his story, to walk the line on Troost Avenue, the historic redline for KC, and a neighborhood on the edge. The Troost Cooridor is in the midst of urban renewal, which is a topic ripe for discussion and imagination. Learn about Ruby Jean, Chris' grandmother, who inspired this journey to provide nutrition for mind and body to young people across Kansas City and beyond. Drink the juice!
Parent Leaders at Holmes Garden
Space for: 25
Leaving to Learn FAMILY STYLE! Travel to the Holmes Garden neighborhood for a block party! Meet parent leader-activists who are united in battling for rent reform and fair housing. Learn about the after school program they're building in their neighborhood and roll up your sleeves to pitch in and help them get started!
RestorED
Space for: 25
Committed to promoting awareness, education, and sustainability of Restorative Practices, RestorED works with teachers, schools, districts, and community organizations dedicated to creating inviting, equitable, and antiracist systems. Join co-founders, Sarah and Reggie, on a school visit to support them in a real dilemma while advancing your vision of restorative practices.
Science City
Space for: FILLED
Note: Transportation to this excursion is Walking
THE place to experience the amazing world of science first-hand. Discover the world of energy in The Science of Energy; create a masterpiece in the Maker Studio; explore the animal kingdom in the Nature Center; or be completely mesmerized by a six-foot suspended carbon fiber sphere projecting powerful visual perspective of Earth and the solar system in Science on a Sphere. You will have so much fun exploring, you will not realize how much you are actually learning!
Sea Life
Space for: FILLED
Note: Transportation to this excursion is Walking
Sea turtle, stingrays and sharks. Oh my! Escape into a 180-degree underwater tunnel, come face to fin with sharks and rescued sea turtles, touch a sticky anemone, and explore over 12 breathtaking exhibits. No flippers required.
WeCode KC
Space for: 25
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At WeCode KC, their mission is clear: provide young individuals with an opportunity to learn technology concepts and leadership skills, ultimately creating a pipeline of future-ready professionals. In a world where technology is shaping our future, it is crucial that every child - regardless of their zip code, has the chance to learn to code. WeCode KC is dedicated to bridging the digital divide and ensuring that no one is left behind. Don't miss this opportunity to join us in championing diversity, inclusion and the transformative power of STEM education.
World War I Museum
Space for: 25
Note: Transportation to this excursion is Walking
The Museum and Memorial holds the most comprehensive collection of World War I objects and documents in the world and is the second-oldest public museum dedicated to preserving the objects, history and experiences of the war. The Museum and Memorial takes visitors of all ages on an epic journey through a transformative period and shares deeply personal stories of courage, honor, patriotism and sacrifice. Designated by Congress as America's official World War I Museum and Memorial and located in downtown Kansas City, Mo., the National WWI Museum and Memorial inspires thought, dialogue and learning to make the experiences of the Great War era meaningful and relevant for present and future generations.